MLB players are keeping themselves in game shape by training at a field in Mesa, Arizona, which was provided to them by the Players Association.
All of this happens while MLBPA officials bargain with MLB to find common ground to play this season.
Some familiar faces are training in Mesa: Blake Treinen and Liam Hendriks are two of them, according to reporter Susan Slusser.
Another one showed up on Tuesday, one that not many players or fans were likely happy to see: pitcher Trevor Bauer.
After signing a huge deal to pitch for the Los Angeles Dodgers, he spent most of the season on administrative leave imposed by the league as they investigated sexual assault allegations made against him.
In February, the Los Angeles County District Attorney announced that they would not be filing any criminal charges against Bauer because of a lack of evidence.
Bauer Could Still Face League Discipline
That doesn’t mean he won’t be suspended, though: per the league’s policy, they can still suspend him for a significant period of time.
Bauer clearly intends to pitch in 2022, but MLB will have the final word.
It’s not a given that he picks up a ball this season: in reality, it’s not a given that we have a season in the first place.
But he just joined players in their camp in Arizona, per Slusser.
Trevor Bauer is here.
— Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) March 8, 2022
Slusser also tweeted a picture of the pitcher.
— Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) March 8, 2022
Bauer, currently 31 years old, has a career 83–69 record and a 3.79 ERA, with 1,416 strikeouts.
He won the National League Cy Young award in the 2020 shortened season while he was with the Cincinnati Reds.
Nobody knows for sure what the future holds for Bauer.
NEXT: Both MLB Sides Must Compromise On The CBT